Your Right to Know

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has produced countless innovations: frozen orange juice
concentrate, permanent-press clothing, mass-produced penicillin and almost all breeds of
blueberries and cranberries in production today.

Each year, the agency issues its dryly named “Report on Technology Transfers,” which outlines
scientific breakthroughs that came about through USDA research, largely conducted with help from
outside organizations such as universities and small businesses.

In 2013, the USDA filed for 147 patents and received 51 others. Here are some of the
breakthroughs that came from the department’s work:

• Weight-loss flour: A new type of flour made of chardonnay grape seeds might prevent weight
gain and high cholesterol, according to the USDA. Testing showed changes in fat metabolism for
hamsters that ate the product along with a high-fat diet. The Mayo Clinic is conducting human
trials.

• Fertilizer from tires: Tires contain zinc, which means the ground-up rubber from used tires
can be used to fertilize zinc-deficient soils. Zinc is an essential nutrient required by many
crops.

Research has also shown that zinc helps reduce cadmium levels in grain. Cadmium is a toxic metal
that shows up naturally in soil and ends up in foods such as cereal and vegetables. Add a little
tire rubber to your dirt, and you might end up with crops that are healthier for consumption.

• Oat concentrate for ice cream: Oat carbohydrates can be turned into a creamy substance. Most
of us know that from eating oatmeal, but studies have shown that oat concentrate can be used to
develop new and perhaps healthier varieties of yogurt, instant puddings, custard, batter, smoothies
and ice cream, according to the USDA.

• Gold particles that detect West Nile virus: The USDA discovered that a hand-held device can
detect West Nile virus — a mosquito-borne infection that can be life-threatening — with help from
gold nanoparticles.

According to the

USDA, gold nanoparticles have the ability to scatter and absorb light, making them ideal for
detecting virus-infected cells with a spectrometer.